Shot in my own foot
by Steel Scale
Summary: Kind of an old rant fic I found in my files I decided to finish up. Criticizes the council's handling of the Quarians after they lost their home world to the Geth.


Shot in my own foot

This is a one shot that I imagined during Mass Effect 1, where Shepard did not know about the Quarians' circumstances.

Space born, War Hero

I don't own Mass Effect

Xxx

"Wait, that's why the Quarians lost their embassy?" Commander John Shepard asked as he strolled along the Presidium with Tali'Zorrah and Gunnery chief Ashley Williams by his side.

"Yes," The Quarian girl nodded sadly. "All because we made the Geth."

"But hold on a second, stop me if I'm wrong." John said as he halted. The two women looked back at him.

"What is it?" Ashley asked.

"The Quarians were reduced from dozens of billions to just over seventeen million," John listed.  
>"Their planets and home world were taken, and they were forced to flee on ships. And the war between them and the Geth only had Quarian and Geth casualties, right?"<p>

"Yes, no other citadel race would involve itself." Tali nodded.

"And the Geth never even left the Perseus Veil until they attacked Eden Prime, right?"

"Yes." Tali said, wondering where this was going.

"And the council kept saying you _unleashed_ them on the galaxy?"

"All too often."

"Yet the only species that has had major trouble from the Geth, at all, since the Quarians were banished has been humanity." John pointed out. "We're the only species that has been attacked since the Geth drove you out. Yet they took away your embassy, and stuck you on a fleet of fifty thousand ships."

"...where are you going with this?"

"The fact that the only trouble that the Geth have given the Council Races was indirectly leading to the Beacon being destroyed by activating it on Eden Prime...and the cost of the fuel it took to place fleets at the border of the veil three hundred years ago." Shepard stated. "_After_ they took away your embassy and told you to hit the road."

"...keelah."

"And while we're at it, they also whine about the Migrant Fleet making life miserable for the galaxy." John continued. "The fleet has to constantly repair, refuel, and resupply, taking up more resources than necessary for out of date ships that need more resources than necessary because they are falling apart by now."

"Got that right," Ashley nodded.

"And...they think that is a _good_ idea to keep the Quarians like this?"

Silence reigned over the trio.

"When instead they could have given you a planet to settle on immediately after the war? You know, help rebuild your society? Let bygones be bygones? Help the _actual_ victims of the Geth?" John kept going on.

"...you're starting to make a point skipper." Ashley blinked, surprised. "Why didn't I think about this until now?"

"So you're trying to tell me that for three hundred years the council has been bitching and moaning about the Geth, saying the Quarians deserve their punishment...when humanity is the only species that has had a colony that has been attacked by Geth for the only time in three centuries and they're just shooting themselves in the foot by not letting the Quarians settle?" John blinked. "Did we make contact with the simplest galactic society? Or just the one that has a tradition of choosing leaders who are less capable of ruling than my college student sister?"

"...those hypocritical _bosh'tets!_" Tali cursed several times in her own language. "My people and yours were hurt the most and they dare say that _they_ had to endure the Geth?" She growled. "All the council at the time had to do was sit in their fancy chairs and sign some papers!" She marched off.

"What is she doing?" Ashley asked.

"I don't want to know." John smacked himself in the face. "What have I done? Me and my stupid sense of logic! Why couldn't I be the spectre who punches a guy first and then talks it out?"

Xxx

Before Shepard could stop Tali, she had kicked the turian Councillor in the testicles, knocked the Salarian Councillor's head against a railing a few times, and then bitch slapped the Asari Councillor in public before ranting to all three of them, pointing out the flaws in their logic and that of their predecessors. Needless to say, everybody in the vicinity and anybody watching over a TV was so stunned that Shepard managed to get Tali out of the Citadel Tower without trouble from C-Sec-a few human officers were so entertained by seeing the Council get told off that they even gave Shepard a free pass for the quickest ride back to the _Normandy._

Surprisingly, Ashley apologized to Tali for stating that the Quarians were responsible for the Geth...Garrus also apologized.

While Shepard continued his quest to save the galaxy from Saren, the Council had this to ponder:

For three hundred years the citadel council had been shooting itself in its own foot!

Xxx

By 'shooting itself in its own foot' I mean that they banished the Quarians to the flotilla, they stick to that punishment, and yet the fleet has to take up more resources out of necessity-which adds to the inconveniences that make Quarians disliked and take away from what the Citadel Races need to sustain themselves. Vicious circle; and I was really questioning some of the logic from the game and books. It said that after the Geth uprising, fleets were posted at the veil, but no Geth ever came out, at all. So why banish the Quarians, the only victims-or at least the biggest group of victims when the Geth only attacked humanity's colony: Eden Prime ever since the uprising? And even then it was the Heretic Faction that attacked Eden Prime. And also, they whine about Quarians going on pilgrimage when they force the Quarians to do it-again due to necessity with their ridiculous exile, which by the way sounds entirely unnecessary and overboard based off of the facts I know of. But politicians in video games never seem to think out all the facts, accept evidence, or make the decision that says 'my version of caution is making sure there's not a threat to begin with, using brute force if necessary'...then again the 'dumb politician with all the bad ideas' portrayal is not too far off the mark in some cases of real life. There are ones who make choices people don't like but benefit them in the long run...and the ones that just make the piece of shit decisions.

Now I made this like...just after Mass Effect came out and when I managed to read the first two books. And I only modified it a bit when I found it. I decided to put it up for kicks. If I don't have all the facts, sue me, it's a rant fic on bad decisions from the Council.


End file.
